Noiseless electric guitar pickups do not suffer from the “hum” that traditional single coil pickups are known for. They consist of a row of six stacked-coil pole pieces to cancel out this humming to produce a clearer tone with less feedback.
Fender make a range of noiseless pickups which are used on some stock Telecasters, Jazzmasters and Stratocasters, or can be purchased aftermarket.
In this article, I’ll be comparing the three types of Fender noiseless pickup: Vintage, Gen 4 and Hot, so you can decide which is the best option for your electric guitar.
Vintage vs Gen 4 vs Hot Noiseless Pickups
Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups use Alnico II magnets whereas Gen 4 and Hot Noiseless pickups use Alnico V magnets. Vintage Noiseless pickups sound warmer and have more mid-range compared to Gen 4 and Hot Noiseless pickups which sound brighter. Hot Noiseless pickups have the highest output, followed by Gen 4 and then Vintage.
Noiseless Stratocaster Pickups
There are 6 types of noiseless Stratocaster pickups available at the time of writing which are either on some models as stock, or can be purchased aftermarket.
- Gen 4 Noiseless Strat (Amazon link)
- Vintage Noiseless Strat (Amazon link)
- Hot Noiseless Strat (Amazon link)
- Ultra Noiseless Vintage Strat (Guitar Center link)
- Ultra Noiseless Hot Strat (Amazon link)
- Player Plus Noiseless Strat
The Player Plus Noiseless Strat pickups cannot be purchased aftermarket and can only be found on the Player Plus models. The rest of the pickups on the list can be purchased separately.
The Player Plus Noiseless Strat pickups cannot be purchased aftermarket and can only be found on the Player Plus models. The rest of the pickups on the list can be purchased separately.
| Noiseless Strat Pickup | Magnet | Output (/5) | Recommended Music Styles |
| Vintage | Alnico II | 3 | Blues and Country |
| Ultra Vintage | Alnico V | 3 | Blues and Country |
| Gen 4 | Alnico V | 4 | Rock and Blues |
| Ultra Hot | Alnico V | 5 | Rock and Blues |
| Hot | Ceramic | 5 | Rock and Blues |
The Fender Vintage Noiseless Strat pickups sound the warmest and fullest with more mid-range compared to the other noiseless pickups.
The Hot Noiseless and Gen 4 Noiseless Strat pickups have more of the classic Strat “quack” as they have a brighter tone. The main difference between the two is that the Hot Noiseless pickups have a higher output so distort more easily whereas the Gen 4 Noiseless pickups retain more clarity.
Check out my comparison between low and high output pickups to learn more.
Noiseless Telecaster Pickups
There are 4 types of noiseless Telecaster pickups available at the time of writing which are either on some models as stock, or can be purchased aftermarket.
- Gen 4 Noiseless Tele (Amazon link)
- Vintage Noiseless Tele (Amazon link)
- Ultra Noiseless Vintage Tele (Amazon link)
- Player Plus Tele
The Player Plus Noiseless Tele pickups cannot be purchased aftermarket and can only be found on the Player Plus models. The rest of the pickups on the list can be purchased separately.
The Vintage Noiseless Tele pickups sound the warmest and have the fullest mid-range and lowest output. The Ultra Vintage Noiseless and Gen 4 Noiseless both use Alnico V magnets so sound brighter by comparison. The main difference between the two is that the Gen 4 Noiseless Tele pickups have a higher output so distort more easily.
Check out my comparison between the different types of alnico magnets to learn more.
| Noiseless Strat Pickup | Magnet | Output (/5) | Recommended Music Styles |
| Vintage Noiseless | Alnico II | 3 | Blues and Country |
| Ultra Vintage Noiseless | Alnico V | 3 | Blues and Country |
| Gen 4 Noiseless | Alnico V | 4 | Rock and Blues |
Comparing Pickup Prices
Ultra Noiseless Vintage and Ultra Noiseless Hot pickups are more expensive than the standard Hot, Gen 4 and Vintage noiseless pickups which are all similarly priced. Check out the table below to see the average prices of each pickup at the time of writing.
| Set of Pickups | Average Price USA | Average Price UK |
| Gen 4 Noiseless Tele | $180 | £135 |
| Vintage Noiseless Tele | $180 | £135 |
| Ultra Noiseless Vintage Tele | $200 | £180 |
| Vintage Noiseless Strat | $210 | £170 |
| Hot Noiseless Strat | $210 | £170 |
| Gen 4 Noiseless Strat | $210 | £200 |
| Ultra Noiseless Vintage Strat | $250 | £200 |
| Ultra Noiseless Hot Strat | $250 | £210 |
Which Fender Guitars Have Noiseless Pickups?
Here is a list of Fender electric guitars which have noiseless pickups as standard at the time of writing.
| Fender Stratocaster Guitar | Pickups |
| Player Plus Stratocaster | Player Plus Noiseless Strat |
| Ultra Stratocaster | Ultra Noiseless Vintage Strat |
| Ultra Luxe Stratocaster | Ultra Noiseless Vintage Strat |
| H.E.R. Stratocaster | Vintage Noiseless Strat |
| Tom Morello Stratocaster | Vintage Noiseless Strat |
| Jeff Beck Stratocaster | Hot Noiseless Strat |
| Player Plus Telecaster | Player Plus Noiseless Tele |
| Ultra Telecaster | Ultra Noiseless Vintage Tele |
| Ultra Luxe Telecaster | Ultra Noiseless Vintage Tele |
| American Ultra Jazzmaster | Ultra Noiseless Vintage Jazzmaster |